Matthew 9:9 - Exposition

The call of Matthew. Parallel passages: Mark 2:13 , Mark 2:14 ; Luke 5:27 , , Luke 5:28 . All three evangelists connect this with the preceding miracle, but in the parallel passages the name is given as" Levi," St. Mark adding, "the son of Alphaeus." If the First Gospel were not written, in either Greek or Aramaic, by St. Matthew himself, but by a catechist of the Matthean cycle, it is possible that "Levi," as found in the source, may have seemed to the catechist disrespectful, anti that he altered it to the title by which he had been accustomed to hear his master called. If, on the other hand, and as seems more probable, this Gospel was written by St. Matthew, his preference for "Matthew" rather than " Levi " may be due to its meaning. And as Jesus passed forth (Revised Version, by ) from thence . Mark 2:13 says that our Lord went out along the seaside, where "the receipt of custom" ( vide infra ) would naturally be. He saw a man, named (Revised Version, called ) Matthew . In the Greek "a man" is closely joined to "sitting at the receipt of custom," the words ΄αθθαῖον λεγόμενον appearing to be almost an afterthought. Not the name, but the man's occupation, was the important thing. Sitting . Still plying his irreligious trade. At the receipt of custom ; at the place of toll (Revised Version). Perhaps a mere booth by the roadside for collecting the octroi -duty on food, etc., carried past. At the present day in Palestine" a booth of branches, or a more substantial hut, is erected at every entrance into the city or village, and there, both day and night, sits a man at ' the receipt of custom.' He taxes all the produce, piercing with a long, sharp iron rod the large camel-bags of wheat or cotton, in order to discover concealed copper wire, or other contraband" (Van Lennep, in Exell, in loc. ) . Schurer (1. 2. p, 67) shows that the customs raised at Capernaum in the time of Christ undoubtedly went, not into the imperial fiscus , but into the treasury of Herod Antipas. On the other band, in Judaea at that time the customs were raised in the interests of the imperial fiscus. And he saith unto him, Follow me . No promise is given corresponding to that in Matthew 4:19 . And he arose, and followed him. Perhaps the day's work was just over, or he may have left some assistant there.